Carrier for braiding machines



C. F. VALLEY CARRIER FOR BRAIDING MACHINES Filed May 18, 192

Jan. 5, 1926.

//VVE/VTQR ATT RNEVS ally stop the braider to replace broken carthespool or bobbin is: carried near-the top of sspec Patented Jan. 5, 1926.

UNITED ri -res *oFfFiifciE.

COBURN r. VALLEY,- OF cuy rnoea FALLS, on Io, Assrqnois Tumors n. ELLSWORTH,

tor GUYiA-HOGA -r-ALLs,- onIo.

"CARRIER FOR; BRAIDINGZM AOHI'NES.

I-AppIiCatiOIL-fiIedZ May, -18,' 1925. Serial I1'-o."30 934.

To all whom it viz a3 concern Be it known that I, GonUuN F. VALLEY,

is asl'iccilicat-ion.

*My invention is an improvement in carriers lor braiding "machines.

In the type .of carrier no-u "comii'io-nly used, iuntedmn an axis the carrier frame. This, structureresults in a-top-heavy or unstable carrier since its center ofz'gravity is too lrighabove the carrier base. When pulling tor'ces ereapplicd to theitopo't the'car- -rierthey will he assisted by the-unstable condition of. the carrier, in breel-zing it off its base. It is, theretore,=necessary to continuriers and-othrwparts, ivhich results :in lower :production and higher cost of operation.

An ilnportant Ob ect of my'lnvention 18 the provision of a carrier of the above named character in which the bobbin 31ssupportedata point-nearthe baseof the carrier so that the center ofegravlty of the carrier will-he maintained at slow pointat all times,

' thus reducing the tendency of the carrier body to break oft" at OITIQHT its base.

ih'IlOthBI0bj8Ct ofniy invention .is to provide ade'vice 'ofthe above n amedicharaoter, having an automatic braking device for the r spool or bobbin, so as tomaint'alin the thread or Wire taut under all conditions Fduri-ng the braiding operation.

Another obj ect of my .inve'ntion. is to pro- *vide a device of the above namedcharacter which 'will' 'bc more conipactwthan-i the .de-

vices heretofore used and which vwill be more durable and less enpensive'ltoi-manu- 'ita-cture.

' Other objects, and aadvantages of invention Willbecomeunore apparent as the ClESCllPtTOlISOf :an embodiment thereof pro gresses, reference being made to: the raccoinpanyrng idrawrngs' forming a part or this ethos-(uni In the drawings- Fignl is a front elevation of thecarrier showing the tension regulator in normaloperative position;

a Fig. .Q isa side longitudinal section of the same, and V l Fig. is'a top plan view ofthe carrier.

In the'drawings, 5 represents a table of the usual type used in braiding machines. The table isp'rovided With the usual 'horning gears for propelling the various carriers .overthe table top 7. The course of the carriers is. determined by track slots in the table top through which the base of each carrier passes. The slottedtables referred to are to he found in the u'sualtype of braiding machines and arenot claimed as-a separate part of this invention.

An embodiment ofuny invention comprising a carrier is illustrated in the drawings andi-ncludes a basecompose'd of plates 9 and IOSpaoed b-y acgui-de device '11. It will be noted that'the lower plate 1O is of'sm'aller dimensions thanth'e upper plate 9 and is providedwith a depending stud 12 slightly eccentricallylocated on the under side of plate 10. It is desired to have the stud donned in the lower plateat'apoint centrally of the Width but "slightly towards the left -as sho*wn-in Fig. This arrangement pro- :vides fora more perfect balance or thecarrier and-permits'it to'be operatedat agreater speed than thoseinaisetoday. The stud engages sockets formed in the driving gears on the table and passes the carrier along in its travel around the table.

f'l h'e guide device 11 rides Within the track slots in the tabletop and is pointed on each end" as shown at sovthat it will more readily take'theflesired' path when crossing slots in the table top.

iThe up'per surface of the lowerjp'late 1O slides over the under surface of the table top, While the :under surface of the top plate 9 slides over the up'per surface ot' the table top. The-.engagingsu rfaces er the plates provide considerable bearing surface for the carrier :and formra very rigid construction "especially when aspullis exerted o'n't-he top of the carrier at an angle to the vertical, as by extreme tension onthe wire 23.

A spool supporting frame 14 is formed on the upper plate and is preferably reinforced where it joins the base. The frame extends upwardly as shown and terminates in a transverse bearing supporting member 15.

A sleeve 16, preferably of glass, is removably carried within the member and is provided with an annular top flange 17 rounded on its inner and top edges. I have specified the use of a glass sleeve since it is as ctficient as a metal or other sleeve and is less expensive to manufacture, although it is to be understood that I may use a sleevemade of any desired material.

The sleeve extends through the supporting member and is grooved near its base at 18 to receive a locking ring or twisted wire 19. Substantially midway of the frame 14 I have provided aligned bearing openings to receive a shaft 21. The shaftis in the form of a pin having a head 20 and having a pin P for engaging the frame to lock the shaft against rotation. The other end of the shaft is grooved at G to receive a. resilient locking pin P. A spool or bobbin 22 having a winding of thread or wire 23 or the like, is rotatably and removably mounted on the shaft 21 and when in operative position is positioned between the frame side members 14c approximately midway of their respective ends to rotate therebetween.

An automatic brake device is mounted on one of th members let as shown more clearly in Fig. 2. This brake device consists of an operating lever 24; pivoted at 25 and having oppositely disposed arms 26 and 27. A brake band 28 which preferably consists of a length of wire, is secured at each of its ends to one of the arms 26 and 27, respectively. I do not wish to be limited to the use of a wire brake band as it is obvious that a band of any other material such as rawhide or fibrous material would accomplish the same results. The brake band is seated within an annular groove 29 on the spool periphery, as shown, and when the lever 24 is rocked upwardly, the brake band will be loosened and the spool will be free to turn on its axis, but when the lever is rocked downwardly, the band will be tightened from both ends and the spool will be securely held against rotation. I provide a means for normally forcing the lever 24 downwardly which consists of a bracket B mounted on the frame 14;, through which is threaded a sleeve S. A guide rod is pivotally connected to the lever 24 and extends into the sleeve S. A coil spring S is carried by the rod between the lever and the sleeve and normally is under compression. Greater compression may be supplied to the spring by screwing the nut N and sleeve S downwardly.

Guides 30 and 31 are secured to the frame members i and consist preferably of arcuately-shaped members slotted at 32 and secured at their respective ends to the frame 14 as shown at 33, although it is to be understood that I may use guides of any desired shape or outline and further that I do not wish to be limited to the use of guides which are slotted, since I may use grooved guides or guides which in any other way are adapted to the purpose for which my preferred form is used.

Referring to Fig. 2 of the drawings, it will be seen that the spool axis intersects about midway, imaginary straight lines drawn from one end of the guides to the other end of the respective guide.

A tension regulating device is provided to travel along the path of the slotted guide rails 30 and 31 and consists of a main body portion 34 having spaced spindle supporting arms 35 extending upwardly therefrom and provided with aligned openings for carrying a spindle A grooved roller 37 rotates'with the spindle and is mounted between the arms. Roller bearings 38 are provided on the ends of the spindle and are adapted to engage and travel within the slots 32. A second spindle 39 is mounted transversely of the main body of the tension regulator and extends outwardly on both sides thereof. This spindle is provided with roller bearings 40 which engage and travel within the slots 32 as shown. The extreme outer ends of the spindle 39 are each provided with cone-shaped tripping members 41 which are adapted to engage pins, or the like (not shown) for stopping the machine. These pins are carried on the table in the path of travel of the carrier and are tripped when the winding 23 breaks and allows the tension, device to drop to the lower part of the carrier. If. for any rcason, the brake. band about; the spool should become loosened or slip as when the tension adjustment on the brake lever 24- is too weak, and the winding accumulates more slack than is necessary to hold the regulator to the desired lifted position, the reg ulator will travel down the guide rails to ward the base thereof until the tripping members 41 engage tri iiping pins not shown) on the table and stop the machine as described above. In no 'mal operation, the tension regulator is held considerably above the lower portion of the carrier. In order to vary the weight of the regulator. l have provided removable weighting plates 4-2 which may be added thereto as desired.

The Winding 23 passes from over the rear of the spool or bobbin and under the groove in the roller, thence upwardly over the roller and is threaded through the sleeve 16. From the carrier the winding passes upwardly to the former bar not shown).

In operation, as the carriers are started into motion on the table, a considerable tenlil the winding 2e, ;;1;1aa110usah regulator to be maintained-1n suspended position. Un-

der ordinary,operating conditions,2this pull will be sufficient ionly to :l-ift and suspend theregulator at apoint as shown approximately in Fig.2. i

As the carrier passes around the table it travelsin a tortuous path and as it -approaches and passes the outermost points with respect to the periphery ofuthe table, the tension on the winding willbeincreased to a point where the regulator will lift .in theguides and engage the dever and release the brakeband so :that the spool will feed inore, ofmthe vwinding to .theformer bars. As

Iii]

ino re slack is given the winding, the carrier approaches the innermost portion of the table and theregulator .will :drop out of contact with the spring pressed brake Jlever, thus reszttirrgg,- the brake and locking the spooliagainst rotation. l )uri n ,1 .the latter partof the cycle of operations, the carrier 'has approached and passed the innermost points of travel with respect to the periphery ofthe table. The entire cycle of operations is repeated continuously m any times while the carrier -is traveling around the table. As a result of the automatictension controlled :feeding means, I have provided a carrier which may :be operated for a vlong period of time without necessity otrepair.

' By providing meansforadij listing the brake tension and means for varying the weight of the carrier, I have increased the limits of tension under which the device may efiicient- :ly operate. :In fact, the device will operate over a wide, range -for braiding.anyhmaterials w ich may more Q1 lQSS change the degree of tension under which the device will efficiently operate.

Then it will be seen that the tension on the winding will be automatically regulated without the necessity of stopping the machine to make adjustments. This results in great time saving, faster operating speed and a lower manufacturing cost.

When it is desired to vary the degree of tension under which the regulator will operate to set and release the brake mechanism, it is only necessary to add or take away one or more of the weighting plates 42 or vary the compression of spring S, or both.

Various changes in the construction and operation of my invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

hat I claim is:

1. A spool carrier comprising a base, a frame, a spool carried by the frame, a brake forthe spool, and an automatic tension regulating device movable in a curved path about said vspool and adapted to actuat the brake .at a predetermined point along vsaid path.

.2. A spool carrier(comprising a vbase, a frame, a spool carriedby the frmne, arcuatc slotted guides carried by the frame, a brake fortheispool, and anautomatic tension reg ulating device carried" by the guides and adapted to actuate the a brake at .a predetergmined point on the guides.

8. A carrier for braiding machines como uprising a base, a .frame carried thereon, a spool rotatably .mounted intermediatevthe ends ofrthe frame, 'abearing sleeve carried by the frame above the spool, slotted guide rails carried by the frame and partially encircling the spool, and a tension regulator adapted to travel along the. guide rails and .to movably engage the wire fed from the spool at a multiplicity of points along the guide rails.

4t. A carrier for braiding machines, comprising a base, a substantially vertical frame carried. thereon, substantially parallel slotrtcd curved guide rails carried by the frame, a sleeve bearing mounted on the frame, a spool rotatably supported withinthe frame and having a winding adapted to ;,pass \up- .wardily throughthe sleeve, a tension regulator iforthe winding adapted to engage and rtigavclialong the slots .in :the guide rails, said regulator having a roller .over which the winding travelsito. support the regulator in a plurality of positions along the rails, .and a brake for controlling the rotation of said spool carried by the frame, said brake havoin ianoperating. lever adapted to be actuated blyxsaid" regulator when the latt er is lifted to .a predetermined position along the guide rails. i i

in a carrier for braiding machines, a base, a substantially .irertical frame carried thereon, a spool rotatably supported within the frame, and intermediate the ends thereof, a brake device mounted on said frame for controlling the rotation of the spool, a tension regulator movable in an arcuate path about said spool, a winding carried by said spool and adapted to normally support the regulator in a plurality of positions about said spool, said regulator being adapted to release said brake from said spool when too great a tension is placed upon the winding fed from the spool.

6. In a carrier for braiding machines, a base, a substantially vertical frame carried thereon, a spool rotatably supported within the frame, and intermediate the ends thereof, a brake device mounted on said frame for controlling the rotation of the spool, a tension regulator movable in an arcuate path about said spool, a winding carried by said spool and adapted to normally support the regulator in a plurality of positions about said spool, said regulator being adapt ed to release said brake from said spool when too great a tension is placed upon'the winding fed from the spool, and means for varying the tension under which the regulator will operate to set and release the brake device,

7. In a carrier for braiding machines, a base, a substantially vertical frame carried thereon, a spool rotatably supported Within the frame, and intermediate the ends thereof, a brake device mounted on said frame for controlling the rotation of the spool, a tension regulator movable in an arcuate path about said spool, a winding carried by said spool and adapted to normally support the regulator in a plurality of positions about said spool, said regulator being adapted to release said brake from said spool when too great a tension is placed upon the Winding fed from the spool, and means for varying the tension under which the regulator will operate to set and release the brake device,

said means including a plurality of detachable iveighted plates adapted to be carried by the regulator in its movement about the spool.

8. A carrier for braiding machines comprising a base, a frame, a spool carried by the frame, a brake for the spool, and an automatic tension regulating device movable in a curved path about said spool and adapted to actuate the brake at a predetermined point along said path, said regulating device being adapted to engage a trip when in one extreme position along its path of movement.

9. A carrier for braiding machines comprising a base, a frame, a spool carried by the frame, a brake for the spool, and an automatic tension regulating device movable in a curved path about said spool and adaptcd to actuate the brake at a predetermined point along said path, and rollers carried by said regulating device for engaging a trip when said device is in one extreme position along its path of movement.

10. A carrier for braiding machines comprising a base, a. frame, a spool carried by the frame, a brake for the spool, and an automatic tension regulating device movable in a curved path about said spool and adapted to actuate the brake at a predetermined point along said path, and freely revoluble cones extending from said regulating device for engaging a trip Where said device is in one extreme position along its path of movement.

11. In a spool carrier for braiding machines, a base, a frame, a spool revolubly carried by said frame, substantially parallel arcuate guide members carried by the frame and describing a path partially around said spool, abrake for the spool, and an automatic tension regulating device movable along said guides, said regulating device comprising a strand receiving roller, and means carried by the device for exerting a constant predetermined pull on said device.

12. In a spool carrier for braiding machines, a base, a frame, a spool revolubly carried by said frame, substantially parallel arcuate guide members carried by the frame and describing a path partially around said spool, a brake for the spool, and an automatic tension regulating device movable along said guides, said regulating device comprising a strand receiving roller, and interchangeable means carried by the device for exerting a constant predetermined pull on said device.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature this 7th day of May, 19:25.

COBURN F. VALLEY. 

